OVER the last five years, all the teachers at St. Edmund's elementary have put in a substantial effort to create fitness and athletic opportunities for our students.
On the surface, it would appear that athletics would only have an indirect connection to the philosophy of a faith-based school. However, while we are "committed to excellence in Catholicity," this also includes all areas that promote the development of the whole child to his or her full potential.
Our students' first experience with athletics begins in gym class and we supplement our physical education classes with sports teams and an intramural program. Students are permitted to sign up for intramurals when they are in Grade 4, and all but a handful of students from grades 4 through 7 participate. Students sign up for teams, and a team is made up of Grade 4 through 7 students. The teams are named around a theme, such as candy (Nerds, Gobstoppers, etc.) or dogs (St. Bernard's, Chiwawas, etc.). The games are fun, but intense. There are all skill levels on the floor, and everyone is putting out a full effort. After some round-robin play, the top four teams make it into the playoff tournament, which adds to the excitement. Intramurals are broken up into three seasons: indoor soccer, handball, and floor hockey.
The other important aspect of our athletic program is our sports teams. In the fall, we run soccer for boys and volleyball for girls. As always, our emphasis is on participation and skill development. Every student that wants to play is on the team, no one is cut. In the winter sports season, we run basketball teams for each of the grades, for both boys and girls. Like in soccer and volleyball, the emphasis is on participation and skill development. We do generally have one team per sport make the playoffs. It is the spring sports season where students have the most choice, with three teams running simultaneously. Girls have their soccer season and the boys can join floor hockey. The school hosts its own floor hockey tournament that the other students always come down to watch. However, our largest team is the track team, typically with around 40 members from grades 3 to 7. The peak of the track season is the Catholic school's meet at Swanguard stadium in late May/early June (this meet is one of the largest elementary track meets in North America).
Having a vibrant athletic program makes students that much more enthusiastic about coming to school, creating a wonderful positive energy and school spirit. In addition, once students from a class have a chance to work with each other as teammates, it really does strengthen their social relationships. Athletics are part of the fabric of our school, and provide us with so many teachable moments for our students.
